The story of Dawn and Dusk
by aleSheep
Summary: Have you you ever wanted something so badly that you refused to accept you can't have it? Like life, the day has beginnings and endings, called dawns and dusks. However, some creatures' dawns begin with a simple object, one they need so badly, they would do anything just to have it. And like that starts the story of a Buneary and a Chikorita.
1. Chapter 0: First Meetings

**Chapter 0: First Meetings.**

_Why must we always run when things like this happen to us? I really don't know. When we're faced with problems like this, it just seems like the only option. A problem we can't resolve easily. One we don't want to fix._

_I held it in my hands, it felt good in them. I don't know why I want this or what I would do with it, but I wanted it, and there it was. I don't want to be caught, though. I need to get rid of it before bad things start happening._

_And yet… I need it. I must keep it._

_..._

* * *

The sky was clear, the day was beautiful, and yet, the lack of bubbles at night bothered Chikorita. He was expecting the Krabby to be out a little more time, blowing bubbles for mostly him to see. He was unable to sleep, it was late and he needed to get some sleep before trying to enter the guild again.

He stood up, realizing why he couldn't fall asleep: It was the guild, he was still nervous about it. It happened a couple of hours ago, but Chikorita remembered what happened. Slowly, he had climbed the stairs, decided to enter the guild, to start his new life as a member of the Wigglytuff Guild, but once he took a sight of the entrance, every step brought a new question. _You are one Pokémon, would they accept you? What if it's already too late? What if the Guild is already full? Was there another Guild like this one?_

The Pokémon sighed, thinking he probably would have another opportunity to go there. He looked to his "bed", a large piece of cloth he used as a blanket, next to a pile of sand he used as a pillow. It wasn't the best, but being unable to stay at someone's house that day only gave him another reason to join the Guild. It was useless to keep thinking about it, so the Chikorita prepared to try sleeping one more time. He lied on the sand, covered himself with the cloth and closed his eyes…

After a while, he began dreaming. He saw a Pokémon in the distance, running towards him, with its arms stretched. He felt the need to run towards it as well, but was unable to move. While the creature wasn't recognizable, he felt a warm feeling in his chest, it was comforting to know someone was happy to see him…

He was woken up by the sudden pain in his back. The Chikorita wondered if a Wingull accidentally hit him while he was asleep, but that couldn't be true, since it was still dark. He stood up and began walking, looking at the floor, maybe an Aipom threw a rock at him, as a prank. Suddenly he took a step back, as something moved right next to him. It had large, fluffy ears, was taller than him, and stood on two small legs.

The bunny-like creature coughed a bit of sand and then turned towards the grass type Pokémon that made it fall. "Watch where you're sleeping, can you? There are some of us that want to hide!" Its voice was feminine, probably trying to sound angry, but due to the lack of air in it, came out as scared or nervous.

"Well, excuse me. I wouldn't recommend going there, though". The Pokémon was about to keep going, but this stopped her. "Some have lost their way, not knowing what lies beneath the cave. Some say it's a monster, some say it's cursed".

"Alright, alright…" The bunny-like creature sat on the sand, looking at the one with the leaf on his head. "And who might you be, homeless looking Pokémon?"

"I'm Chikorita, and I'm not homeless, just… decided to sleep in the beach. What about you, suspicious looking hopper?" The creature didn't seem really happy to hear this.

"I am Buneary, and I'm not suspicious, I was just running towards here, not hoping I'd encounter you on the process" she sighed, lying on the sand. "Though, now that I think about it… I should've stopped a long time ago… well, at least I'm safe now".

Chikorita noticed a certain square-like object on the floor, which shined under the moonlight. He picked it up, only to be snatched by the bunny. "Hey!"

"It's my diary. I want to keep it private from strangers like you…" Buneary hissed. "Wait, where is it?" The leafed creature seemed confused while the long-eared one began looking for something in the sand. "Don't tell me I lost it… please…"

"What are you looking for?" He tried to help looking for it, only to realize he was unable to find it, as Buneary already put it in the lower fur of her body. "Oh, did you find it?"

"Yes…" she sighed, sitting on the sand again. "Is there a… I think it's called a guild, around here?" The sudden change of topic bothered Chikorita, but decided to not think too much about it.

"Yeah! Here in Treasure Town is the Wigglytuff Guild… why? Are you interested in making a team?"

"Yeah, sure. Since you're not inside the Guild, I can safely suppose you're not in it, right?" The green creature blushed a bit from the question and nodded. "Well, it would be weird to join just like that, out of the blue, so I think we could be a team, if that is allowed".

Chikorita smiled, incapable of not showing his happiness. "Well, we'll go there later. For now, let's rest, shall we? I don't have a spare blanket, so you should-"

"Oh look, it's the sun". Buneary pointed towards a light in the distance, which slowly ascended. With the long conversation, the grass creature didn't exactly notice it was becoming day already. "Maybe sleeping isn't the best of options, don't you think?"

"Oh, the sun… right".

* * *

**Thank you for reading my first fic! It might not be too much, but I really enjoyed writing every part of it. I hope you like it so far, and while I'm in vacations, I'll try to update it regularly. **

**I received a BIG inspiration from A.R. Lore's Pokémon Mystery Dungeon story, Shiro's Gem ( s/8904539/1/Pokemon-Mystery-Dungeon-Shiro-s-Gem), so if you want a cool, romantic story, go follow it, and once you're there, follow them!**

**EDIT: I made a slight change in the story, mostly for future events. Nothing much, though.**


	2. Chapter 1: They call it home

**Chapter 1: They call it home.**

…

_It has been a week. Why are they appearing just now, looking for me? What do they want now? Thanks to them, now he knows my secret, it's all over now. It is my fault, I should've never come here. I will fix this, though, none of this people deserve this punishment. I am not crazy, I know the true power of this object._

_I hear her voice, in my dreams, thanks to the stone… Thanks to her, I know. I am not a normal Pokémon, no. I have a name, a unique name. I am the light that will save all these people._

_But then, who is the darkness? I must seek the answer to this question. The faster, the better. I won't hesitate to end its life, if it's necessary. It's my destiny._

* * *

The moment came for the two of them to enter the Guild. Chikorita gulped upon seeing the entrance to such place, looking at Buneary, who was completely calm about it. Upon walking near the entrance, they noticed a hole in front of it, with a net so Pokémon don't fall. The bunny creature stepped on it, only to be answered with a loud, childish voice. "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected! Confirmed as Buneary! Confirmed as Buneary!"

"Pretty neat identification system" Buneary joked, stepping out of the hole. "Come on, Chikorita. Step on it". The leafed Pokémon was nervous, but slowly walked until he was on top of it. The response took a while.

"Companion confirmed as Chikorita! Companion confirmed as Chikorita!" Startled, the Pokémon jumped out of the hole, as the gate of the Guild moved. A creature with big, circular ears, that stood on two legs opened it, and upon seeing them, went back inside. Buneary yawned before entering the building, and waited under the door for her companion.

Chikorita couldn't believe he was already there, about to enter the famous Wigglytuff Guild. He let out a yawn before following her. Even though he was excited to join the Guild, he was expecting Buneary to wait until they at least had breakfast, or slept more. When he went inside the Guild, he noticed stairs going down, which he descended, eventually finding himself surrounded by Pokémon.

"SQUAWK!" yelled a bird Pokémon with blue wings and a head shaped like a musical note. "What brings a couple of young explorers to the Guild?" he chirped.

Chikorita was about to explain. "Oh, we want to-"

"Oh, let me rephrase that question". The Pokémon cleared his throat. "What brings a couple of young explorers to INTERRUPT THE MORNING ROUTINE?" he yelled again, flapping his wings rapidly.

"Huh? Chatot, please don't yell…" Every Pokémon turned towards the source of the voice, which was sweet and laid-back, unlike the bird's. It turned out the one who said this was just waking up. He was a big, pink creature with long ears. "We're all just looking for friends, aren't we?" he said, rubbing his blue eyes. The Pokémon known as Chatot sighed.

"Well, I guess this makes the morning far more interesting" he mumbled. "Welcome to Wigglytuff's Guild! What brings you two youngsters here?" The sudden change of tone made Chikorita feel awkward.

"We are interested in forming a team, if it's not a bother, that is" answered Buneary. The bird Pokémon flapped his wings once more, before pointing towards the room behind him. Both Chikorita and his apparent partner nodded before entering. It seemed to be a large hallway with a chair similar to a throne on the end of the room, along with a couple of giant, red apples scattered around the floor.

"I can't believe we're about to make a team" he beamed, looking at Buneary, who was playing with her ears. "Aren't you excited?"

"Not exactly". She then looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, the place's nice and all but… I really don't know if it will keep me safe at night".

"What would you need to be safe from? Would anyone even like to harm you?" She shrugged, looking at the ceiling. "Then? I believe it's safe enough here".

Chatot and the pink creature entered the room. As the feathered one cleared his throat, the other began talking. "Welcome to Wigglytuff's Guild! If I recall correctly, you two came here to join, am I correct?" Both of them nodded in agreement. Excitedly, the creature jumped, as he gave both of them medals. "Excellent! In that case you're now members of the Wigglytuff Guild!"

"Wait, that's it?" asked Chikorita. "Just like that?" The pink creature nodded, as he went to sit on his chair, grabbing one of the big apples on his way there. "Um… Mr. Chatot, is that really it?"

The Pokémon sighed. "Yes, and I was hoping to introduce you two to everyone, but I guess that'll have to wait, unless you want to do it yourselves".

"Don't bother" said Buneary. "It is early, I believe we can manage the introductions by ourselves. Where are our rooms?" Chatot nodded, walked outside the room and pointed towards a hallway with entrances to other rooms on the walls. "Oh… I suppose we are supposed to sleep there?"

"Yes. It would be recommended that you two take it slow for now, so I can't assign any missions to you today. Take some time to meet the explorers that share lives with you, as well as the ones who dedicate theirs to accomplish tasks our Guild needs, like recruiting and cooking". Buneary walked towards the hallway, looking for an empty room.

"Thank you, Mr. Chatot". The bird Pokémon chirped and went inside his room, leaving Chikorita with no option but to follow Buneary. He was surprised to find her lying on the floor, writing in her diary. "What are you writing?"

"None of your business" she spoke, closing the square shaped notebook. "I don't like this place, in fact, I find sleeping on the beach better, don't you think?" Chikorita tilted his head, confused, and looked around the room for something potentially bothersome. There were two straw beds, which were fairly better than sleeping on the sand with only a piece of cloth to cover from the cold. There was also a wooden stump, which Buneary could've used to write.

"Of course I don't. I can finally call this place my home" he replied, as he went to lie on a straw bed. "I've been wanting to enter the Guild for a lot of time by now. It was my dream, but mostly, it was my caretakers' wish".

"I personally believe that places like 'home' are overrated" she commented, hiding her diary under her bed and then sitting on it. "I mean, it's just a place you can sleep and feel safe. There's plenty of places like that, some fairly better than others".

"Well, in my case, I've had plenty of homes". Chikorita turned to see Buneary, who was already lying on her bed. He supposed she was pretty tired. After letting out a yawn, he decided to sleep as well, after all, he could use the sleep.

* * *

By the time both of them had woken up, it was already lunchtime. The dining room was large, but didn't have much. There were plenty of plates scattered around a long table in the middle, most of them empty. Apart from Buneary and Chikorita, there were four more Pokémon in the room: Chatot, the Guildmaster Wigglytuff (who introduced himself when he saw them at the dining room), Chimecho, the cook of the Guild, and a black bird Pokémon who didn't say a word in the whole meal.

While they were eating, Chatot explained to Chikorita and Buneary how they Guild worked: The teams were in charge of taking care of the Pokémon who can't defend themselves, or that simply forgot something in their adventures. Meanwhile, the members at the Guild worked hard to keep the "explorers" healthy and safe. Chikorita was happy to hear this, Buneary didn't seem to really mind it much, as she continued to eat.

"Have you ever seen Treasure Town?" asked Chikorita once they both finished their meals. They walked towards the "main hall" of the Guild. "I mean, you surely don't seem to be around from here, but-"

"A tour wouldn't hurt, I guess" The black bird Pokémon came out of the kitchen and headed to its room, followed by Chatot. Buneary stopped him. "Who's that Pokémon?"

"It's Starly!" he replied, a bit startled from her interruption. "She is staying here because of a mission. She normally picks outlaws' missions, normally doesn't get too injured, but last time she took her time to come back. Turned out she was unable to fly again. We recommended her to stay here, for safety".

"Oh, alright. Sorry for scaring you, sir". The bird Pokémon nodded, as he continued its way towards the Guildmaster's room. Buneary turned back to Chikorita. "So, will you show me around Treasure Town?"

* * *

All the Pokémon around Treasure Town greeted Chikorita as he walked through the streets of Treasure Town, making Buneary feel awkward. He mentioned the shops, but the bunny Pokémon wasn't paying attention to him. It didn't really seem important, it just helped to understand the place they were going to stay. The short trip stopped at a shop ran by two Kecleon. One of them was green, but the other purple.

"Ah, Chikorita. We're happy to see you once more" began the green one, as the other took supplies from the back. "Can we safely assume you are now part of a guild's team?"

"Yes!" he said, showing off his new Explorer's Medal. "I made a team with this Buneary here. She came here one night, when I was sleeping at the beach. Turned out she also wanted to enter the Guild. What a coincidence, right?" Buneary looked at Chikorita, confused.

The brothers looked at each other, smiling, and giggled, before the purple one talked. "We believe coincidences don't exist, little Chikorita. We believe in fate, yes. You were bound to meet this beautiful girl right here, it was destiny".

The long-eared creature crossed her arms, looking offended. "I see. What do you sell here?"

"Oh, we sell a little bit of everything, lady. From apples to keep your stomach full in your dangerous trip, to Technical Machines that, get this, let you learn a new move! We also sell orbs that contain secret, mystical powers that you can use to your advantage". Buneary's eyes opened. "We see you are interested in these".

"Is there some sort of… knowledge orb?" she asked. One of the Kecleon looked inside a bag and gave an orb to her. "Alright, how do I use it?"

"Oh, no, no. You can't use it here. The power inside it can only be freed once you are in a dungeon, far away from Treasure Town. It's of no use right now" explained the purple Kecleon, which closed the bag afterwards. "And by the way, don't mind the payment. It's free for you two, but don't tell anyone else" he giggled.

Buneary nodded as she looked at the orb, smiling. Chikorita walked towards the end of the street, waiting for his companion to follow him. Once they got to the end, the grass-type Pokémon smiled, pointing towards the floor. "Now, the place you currently are is called Sharpedo Bluff. It's a pretty nice place, where you can see Krabby's bubbles at times like this".

She got close to the edge of the cliff to make sure that what he was saying was true. They were hard to see at first, but the spherical water objects were floating, reflecting the light of the sun. She had to admit it was a nice sight.

"It's getting late, I think we should go back to the Guild". Buneary nodded, as she followed Chikorita back to their home.

* * *

It was already night-time and everyone had gotten to their rooms to sleep, except for Buneary. She convinced Chatot that she needed some time alone, so she left. He felt the need to look for her, mostly because she was his companion, the one that made him enter the Guild in the first place. He got out of his bed and slowly went to open his room's door.

He managed to avoid getting caught by Chatot, which was surprising, since he seemed to be the one that took care of every explorer in the Guild. Chikorita's first guess was the Sharpedo Bluff, but because of stores closing, it didn't seem like the best place to be alone. His second guess, though, was the correct one.

Buneary was sitting on the beach's sand, writing in her square notebook when Chikorita approached her. She immediately closed it, staring at him. "Can't someone here have some privacy? I expected you to be asleep when I came back" she groaned.

"Hey, I was worried for you. It is late, you know" he said, sitting next to her. "Besides, I can't sleep. I just… can't believe I'm already here".

"You lived in Treasure Town all your life, didn't you?" He shook his head. "Oh, where, then?"

"My parents lived far away from here, they were merchants, like the Kecleon brothers. They passed away due to a strange illness, here in Treasure Town. I've lived in every merchant's house, tent or whatever they sleep in. Yesterday was the first time I slept on the beach, because they couldn't afford me being there anymore and I was also able to join the Guild. I wanted to be there so I could finally call a place home, without the fear of leaving it eventually".

Buneary yawned, looking at the sea which reflected the moon's light. "Like I said before, places you can call 'home' are overrated. Without counting the Guild, I've had one home, and let me tell you, I had a reason to leave it".

"Really? What did they do to you that made you leave?" Buneary sighed, still looking at the sea. "Is it painful? You don't really have to tell me".

"It wasn't bad. A Pokémon known as Froslass took care of me, but not for very long. She was nice and caring, I wasn't". She turned her head towards the sky. "I would prefer to not talk about it".

"What about your parents?" The bunny creature didn't expect that question, and looked at Chikorita. "Don't tell me you don't remember about them".

"I don't think it's much of a big deal. I can't remember anything before Froslass took me in. I just remember it was cold outside, and I had woken up with ink all over my face…" She turned towards the sea again and sighed. "Can you go back to the Guild? I want to keep being alone".

"I understand". Buneary raised an eyebrow. "You really don't want to talk about it, huh? I'll go back, then". Chikorita stood up and headed towards the Guild, leaving Buneary alone by herself.

The Pokémon waited a couple of minutes make sure he was gone, and once it was sure he was, took the diary out to keep writing, but before that, decided on reading what was already written there:

"_Why must we always run when things like this happen to us? I really don't know…"_

Those were the first sentences in the diary. It wasn't really long. The last thing written was:

"… _I need to get rid of it before bad things start happening"._

"Ah, yes…" the bunny muttered, taking an object out of its fur. It was a stone, darker than the night itself. For Buneary, this stone was precious, mesmerizing, but at the same time, dangerous. Even so, the Pokémon couldn't leave it, it was just impossible.

"_And yet… I need it. I must keep it._

_It is the only thing that I can think of in this moment, and in a way, I think this object thinks about me as well. I'm not sure of it, but I believe there is a spirit trapped in this stone, one that knows me too well, which even gives reason to my own existence._

_The spirit's voice calls a name I don't remember. It talks about things I can't imagine me doing. I heard someone say that coincidences are not real, that only fate is real… and I think that's true._

_It was my fate to have this. This stone belongs to no one but me, I'm the only one who must know of it, and whoever asks about it will get nowhere. For now I am safe from them, the ones who want to steal the stone. They're unable to understand that this spirit… or whatever it is here, is calling me. It's saying…_

_Dawn. The stone repeats that name constantly. I feel connected to it. I believe it's my name"._

Buneary closed the diary and headed to the Guild, happy to see that its doors were open, waiting for the Pokémon to come back.

* * *

**Aaah, this chapter is FINALLY done. It took me quite a while to write it, mostly because I SUCK at introductions. I hope the rest of the story seems interesting to all of you, because it will get interesting.**

**I wanna thank Xcite because he told me about a few things in the last chapter, I realized there was a thing that could've been misunderstood, and I'm sorry about that!**

**Anyways, I hope none of the characters came out as too emo or too uninteresting. Please send some feedback if you liked the story!**


	3. Chapter 2: The stone

**Chapter 2: The Stone.**

_I wish I could trust you, really. I guess I have no choice but to do it. It is already too late to change things to how they're supposed to be. I'm sorry for what I put you through, even now…_

_You won't read this, you're not supposed to, but I just want you to know that… if you are reading this, I'm probably dead. I don't know if I did it, or if they did it, I just know I probably am. Don't look for me, whatever you do._

_It was his fault. It was Starly's fault as well… I was blind and I'm sorry…_

* * *

A week had passed. At first, Buneary and Chikorita had orders to help around the Guild, which gave them the opportunity to meet the rest of the members in it: Loudred, Bidoof and Sunflora. There was also Diglett and Dugtrio, but due to them being underground most of the time, they couldn't really talk much with them. After three days, they began doing simple missions, like retrieving a lost object or looking for a lost Pokémon.

It was becoming a routine for both of them to wake up, look at the available missions, buy the necessary equipment, travel to where the mission was, and return to the Guild by dinner. However, on that day, after their mission, Buneary noticed that Chikorita wasn't going towards the Guild, but instead, he was walking towards the beach. The first thought that came to mind was: "This is where we met".

Buneary looked towards the sky; the sun was setting, giving it red and purple shades, which combined with the clouds, creating a beautiful scenery which looked worth for a painting. The moon was in the sky as well, waiting for the stars to appear, hiding behind the clouds. Chikorita kept walking. Suddenly, Buneary saw a red blanket on top of the sand, waiting for both of them.

"I asked Chimecho if he could prepare this for us, seems like he's a trusty guy" said the grass Pokémon. "I knew he could, you know, lend me a hand with this". Buneary didn't laugh at the apparent joke, but it did seem funny. Chikorita took off their Treasure Bag, which was given to them to carry things around when they started doing missions, and took two big apples out, giving one to her. "He also borrowed a couple of those apples the Guild carries around".

"This is a pretty nice thing, Chikorita, but... why did you make all this?" she asked, looking at her apple. "I mean, I appreciate it but-"

"We've been friends for a week by now. I like celebrations, and I wouldn't be in the Guild if it wasn't for you". He looked at the sea, which reflected the sky above them. "It's my way of saying thanks, I guess".

Buneary couldn't help but smile at this, and just decided to nod. She didn't really seem to like the idea, which made Chikorita feel a bit bad about doing all of this, especially since it was a surprise. He wanted to be sure that she was happy, and he felt like he knew why that was.

He sat on top of the blanket and took a bite of his apple before talking. "Buneary, I've known you for about a week, and being in an exploration team with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me". The bunny Pokemon turned her head towards him. "You… you are special to me. You are the best girl-"

Buneary sighed, which made Chikorita stop. "I'm a boy" the long-eared creature said, looking at the floor. "I know I've had this… girly voice and body, I guess, but I'm a boy. I wanted to tell you when you were with the Kecleon brothers, but to be honest, I don't know what happened".

Chikorita stood up. "What? I… Why?"

Buneary sighed once again and turned towards Chikorita. "I like being with you too, though. I'm not the best at showing it, but I do care about you, especially because I feel safe now, thanks to you".

"But I prepared this all for you… thinking you were a girl". Buneary frowned. "I mean, I wasn't really expecting anything for it, but-"

"If you wanted a date" he began "you should've chosen Sharpedo Bluff. It's a bit crowded with people at this hour, maybe, but it's a really nice place with a beautiful sight". Chikorita blushed, incapable of saying anything against this. The bunny didn't seem to mind mentioning it was a date. "What? Were you expecting me to be all 'blushy blush' about this? It's nothing weird, if anything, it's pretty sweet of you. Thanks once more".

"It wasn't a date" he murmured.

"Oh, now it's not a date?" asked Buneary. "I mean, the apples, the blanket, the sunset… it looks like a date, to me".

"It wasn't a date!" Chikorita took a few steps back from the long-eared Pokémon, who then stood up. "I would never, EVER date a guy like you".

Buneary rolled his eyes and turned towards the Guild. "Whatever" he said. "Thank you for the apple, though. You should eat yours". Chikorita looked at the blanket, his apple was still there. After he left, the grass type Pokémon took the apple and kept eating it, hoping that Buneary didn't even think about telling the entire Guild what happened.

* * *

"SQUAWK!" yelled the music note bird. "A Dusk Stone?"

A big, black bird, much taller than Chatot, was standing next to him and nodded. He cleared his throat before talking to the members of the guild who were listening to what they were saying. "Allow me to explain" he began talking, in a deep voice. "A few days ago, something really important from us was stolen, which is, as you can guess, a Dusk Stone. This is no ordinary evolutionary stone, though. It was almost a royal treasure to the most important family from the town where we live".

The black bird motioned towards an empty space, where suddenly a couple of spirits, both wearing something like a red necklace, appeared. The members of the Guild let out a chorused "Eek!" One of the ghost type Pokémon moved closer to them. "We are to our land what Officer Magnezone is to you: Law enforcers".

"B-but I still don't understand!" said Chatot, flapping his wings. "Do you want help finding this Dusk Stone? Do you… suspect someone of the Guild might have it?"

"Oh, no, no" chuckled the big bird. "We just want you to keep your eyes open. We've been traveling for quite a while, and we've found some clues about the whereabouts of our thief". He moved to face the guild members again. "We'll be staying for two days in Treasure Town. If one of you has some information about this Dusk Stone, do tell us".

And with that, both spirits disappeared, as the bird Pokémon flapped its wings, moving towards the surface. The Guild was quiet until they heard the gates closing. There was plenty of sudden chattering, questions like "What is a Dusk stone?" "Why would it be a royal treasure?" "Who would need something like that?" A loud yell was heard from the center of all the noise.

"Alright, you should all go to bed!" shouted Chatot. "Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes, I'm sure. You can all talk about this in your chambers, now go!" All of them headed in record time towards their rooms, leaving him and the Guildmaster alone. It was silent until Buneary appeared.

* * *

Once he had calmed down, Chikorita began walking towards the Guild, when he suddenly realized a group of Pokémon talking on the crossroads. He didn't have any hurry to get back to the Guild, so he hid behind a bush and began listening to the Pokémon chatting.

"Master Honchkrow, what is the plan? How are you so sure that she's here, in this horrible place?" spoke a girly voice. "I'd understand if you had seen her, but we have found no trace of her in days!"

A deep voice laughed. Chikorita moved a bit to see the Pokémon, it seemed it was a big black bird and two floating Pokémon. "Now, dears, you should calm down. I've been sleepless for days looking for this criminal. I _know_ she is here".

"Yeah, I know, Master Honchkrow. You should really get some sleep, though. If that girl is here, she'll appear eventually". The bird Pokémon nodded.

"The Guild will collaborate with us as well," he continued, "even though we didn't mention it. This alliance will allow us to cover more ground, especially with the explorers". The bird gave a loud yawn. "For now, let's get some deserved rest".

And so, they left. Chikorita left the bush and hurried back to the Guild, ready to give the news to Buneary. He might be a male, but he was still his friend, or so the Pokémon hoped.

* * *

Buneary was walking towards the guild, when suddenly he noticed a familiar shadow, flying up towards the exit of the Guild. He quickly hid inside a bush, trembling. He didn't expect them to catch up to him. Did they know he was there, in the Guild? Probably not, but it was still a good idea to stay alert.

Once the big bird Pokémon went out of his sight, he got out of the bush and headed inside the Guild. The doors were closed, but once he stepped on the grate, they opened once more. The bunny Pokémon climbed down the stairs of the Guild until he got to the main room, where he saw the Guildmaster and Chatot, who stared at him for about a minute. The bird Pokémon was the first to talk.

"Unacceptable!" he yelled, making the Guildmaster Wigglytuff cover his ears. "Why are you arriving so late, young lady?" Buneary shook her head nervously.

"I'm extremely sorry, Chatot. Can I go to my room now?" The Guildmaster's assistant agreed, pointing towards the chamber's hallway. Buneary rushed towards his room and looked around his hay pile, where he found his stone, which was still untouched. He heard some noise from the main hall, so he quickly hid his stone again.

"What's wrong, Buneary?" Chikorita asked, apparently happier than before. "What's that in your bed?" The Pokémon tried hiding it better, behind him, but it was useless. "Let me see".

Defeated, Buneary sighed again and showed the stone to his friend. "I don't know what this is, but I found it one day and I decided to keep it…"

"I think I know what this is!" These words made Buneary's eyes shine. "I think it belongs to that big bird Pokémon… what's his name?"

His voice trembled. "Honchkrow" managed to come out. Chikorita suddenly felt worried about his friend. "The… bounty hunter".

"Excuse me? He didn't look like a bounty hunter at all". Buneary went to sit down on his hay stack. "But… that doesn't mean I don't trust you. Why is him being a bounty hunter so important to you?"

"He doesn't sleep until her gets his pay, that's his catchphrase" he answered, playing with his ears to distract himself. "He usually comes with his two sidekicks, the Misdreavus Sisters. The perfect spies, they call themselves. If you have a weakness, be it physical or mental, they'll find it sooner or later".

"Why do you know all of this?" Buneary stared at Chikorita, with fear still in his eyes. The grass type Pokémon was about to speak, when the bunny Pokémon answered.

"I… stole it" he sighed. "This stone… I'm curious as to what it really is. So far it has been really cryptic, but every day I spend with it, I feel like I'm getting closer to discovering its real purpose. It mentions a name, it's-"

"Dinner's ready!" said a sweet voice, from the main hall. Chikorita began walking to the dining room, but before going out the door, he turned towards his friend.

"You're crazy, Buneary". These words made him feel sorry for telling Chikorita. "Come on, let's eat a little and get ready for tomorrow, alright?" Buneary took some time to act, but eventually sighed and nodded. "Promise me you'll return that stone to Mr. Honchkrow tomorrow".

"I can't do that" he answered. Chikorita made a worried expression. "Whether it's good to have this stone or not, I have to keep it for a bit more time. Give me another week, wait for Honchkrow to go away, and if I haven't found out about this thing's secrets, I'll give it to Chatot".

"You're obsessing too much about this… but alright. Don't take too much to get to dinner". Afterwards, the grass type Pokémon left, leaving the bunny all by himself.

Buneary carefully hid the rock under his friend's bed, just in case Chikorita planned to throw it away when he was asleep, and took out from his own hay stack his diary. A dim light was coming from the windows, but it was bright enough to be able to write, and so he did.

"_I'll have to stay away from the stone for a couple of days, unable to make any advances on my 'research' with this mysterious object. It's alright, as it's best to keep it safe for the future and avoid from getting it returned to its former place, where it doesn't belong._

_It doesn't belong to me either, but it's in better hands…_

_It has been a week. Why are they appearing just now, looking for me..?_

He was writing as fast as he could, unable to stop, until he reached a certain sentence in his writing. When he read it again, he realized he had a question.

"… _I am the light that will save all these people"._

He wondered what seemed off about that sentence. It was nothing about him, maybe something about what was happening, but he certainly didn't mind about it. No, it was something about the possibility of _someone_; after all, there was no light without darkness. And as such, he began writing the last paragraph of his diary entry:

"_But then, who is the darkness? I must seek the answer to this question…"_

* * *

**Oh my god, finally!**

**I'm sure some of you didn't realize how much this chapter took, at least, after all my personal projects and school. I'm happy it's done, that I can continue this with something else next time I write, but for now, I feel relieved it's finished so far.**

**I have more ideas ready to be written, but I don't want to delay this any more than I have so far, so for the next days, I'll try writing as much as possible until I have yet another chapter ready, AND THEN, I'll take a rest to write something else.**

**I'm sorry for everyone who doesn't like this series, I just have to finish this eventually. It's my first fanfic in this place, after all.**


	4. Chapter 3-1: Memories

**Chapter 3 Part 1: Memories.**

…

_I miss you, Chikorita. I don't know where you are, and it worries me to no end. I'm sorry for all of this, extremely sorry. If I die here and now, remember that… ugh… why is it so hard to even write it, let alone say it?_

_You know what I mean. I think you've always known._

* * *

Chikorita woke up to see that Buneary wasn't in their room. At first, he thought he had overslept, but the appearance of Loudred, who was surprised to know that the grass type Pokémon was awake, made him realize that it was still morning. He went to the main hall of the Guild, looking for the bunny, but found nothing but the usual Pokémon.

Thinking that he might just be busy or preparing for a mission, he went and looked at the bulletin board, picked a couple of missions to pass the day, and went to Treasure Town. When he was at the Kecleon Brother's shop, he noticed a familiar pair of ears in the distance, along with an unknown pair of red horns along with a short, green hair.

"That's weird" said a silvery voice. "Where is your companion? You usually never leave each other's side. Is something happening?"

Chikorita turned around only to see a black and white bird talking to the Kecleon brothers, which then turned towards him while one of them went to get her stuff. He realized that Starly was still waiting for his response.

"We are good, as far as I know. Maybe it's just a little misunderstanding, you know?" Starly just nodded. He decided not to say anything else about the matter. "Maybe she's just resting".

"What about you? Shouldn't you be resting with her?"

"I want to take my mind off of certain stuff. Exploring would help. Now, if you excuse me… " He began walking towards the crossroads, but was stopped by Starly's voice.

"Where are you going, if I am able to know?" she spoke with a smile. Chikorita turned to see her and answered.

"Drenched Bluff for now, why?"

"It turns out that I'm going there as well" she commented, still smiling. "A bit of company wouldn't hurt, but be careful around me, 'cause my missions are not exactly easy. Do you accept?"

"Are you kidding?" he said, feeling a smile appear on his lips. "That's just what I need today, a little bit of more difficulty. Shall I lead the way?"

"Slow down. Come back here and buy some other things" she chuckled. "You'll need 'em".

* * *

He had remembered; memories of him walking around the place where he lived, before he thought about stealing that stone. There was a face that he couldn't recall, a familiar one, but the bunny knew nothing else apart from that.

He was sitting at Sharpedo Bluff, watching the sunrise, playing with his ears, still worried about the appearance of Honchkrow. Buneary knew that he was possibly in danger, but it didn't matter. He had a past, back there, and he had left it for a useless rock. He thought about Chikorita's words the last night, before they had dinner: "You're crazy, Buneary". That sentence had been echoing in his head since last night.

Maybe he was crazy. From the bottom of his heart, Buneary wanted to believe those words; that he was just imagining things, that returning the stone was the best way to act and maybe he could be spared of the mental and physical torture that awaited him. His mind, however, stopped him from doing this.

"Buneary, is that you?" said a quiet voice. Buneary's ears moved upwards, startled but enjoying the pleasant tone of voice that came to them. "I never thought I would find you here".

A Pokémon stood next to Buneary, smiling. He had a couple of red horns coming out of his green hair, his skin was mostly green, and a pair of red eyes were staring at him. He recognized his face immediately.

"Kirlia?" escaped his mouth. "You are here!" The psychic type Pokémon hugged his old friend, embracing him in a friendly way. "I thought I would never see you again" Buneary said, hugging the Pokémon back.

"How do you think I feel?" he whispered, calmly, in his ear. He let go of his friend and looked at him in the eyes. "I've been looking _everywhere_ for you. You _need_ to hear what is up at Shadow Ville. You wouldn't believe any of it. You have to go and see it".

"You just arrived here and you want to go back?" asked Buneary, chuckling. "Calm down and enjoy the view". Kirlia just laughed at this, which made the bunny laugh as well. "Besides, I have stuff here, like… you know, exploration teams?"

"Oh right, I've heard they are really popular these days…" he muttered. "So you mean I have to go back home by myself? Even after looking for you all this time?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry…" Buneary turned back and saw a familiar grass type Pokémon, Chikorita, along with Starly, walking towards the crossroads. "But… I think I got the day free" he mentioned. "I mean, at least you can rest here. Maybe I can give you a tour".

Kirlia brought a hand to his chin. "Yes, that sounds nice, but…" The Pokémon looked towards the sun, which was already in the sky above them. "What about a short visit there? I mean, to Shadow Ville. Maybe a couple of days. I'm sure no one would mind".

Buneary nodded. It was a great idea if he wanted to stay away from Honchkrow and his crew. "That's actually a good idea" he said. "Let's begin by exploring a bit of the beach…"

* * *

The sun was descending slowly. By the time Buneary had finished with his tour, it was about 12 PM and they were in front of the big Wigglytuff-shaped building he called home for about two weeks by then. Kirlia was so interested in his explanation, he had lost track of the time.

"… and that's pretty much everything in Treasure Town" he finished explaining. There was a short silence between both of them, which the bunny broke"That was a really long tour, I'm sure. What do you want to do now, Kirlia?"

The psychic Pokémon thought for a while, looking at the town away from them. "Is there a good place to eat around here? I'm starving" he mentioned, giving an awkward smile. Buneary nodded and began walking towards a nearby hole. "Oh, right. Spinda Café is over there. Is it good?"

"To be honest, I haven't even tried it" he chuckled. "I was planning on trying it out with a friend. The Apple Diet isn't really my thing, you know?" Kirlia laughed at the joke. Buneary began to walk down the stairs, with his old friend following. "Well, you're a friend, but I'm talking about-"

"Another friend, here, right?" Buneary nodded, stepping out of the stairs to let Kirlia pass. "Is it the green one or the flying bird?"

Buneary couldn't help but giggle at this. "His name is Chikorita. He's a nice guy and treats me well. I really can't ask for more". Kirlia went to sit by a table and rested his chin on his hands, looking at the bunny happily. "What?"

"No wonder you don't want to go back".

"What are you suggesting?" Kirlia raised his eyebrows. "He invited me on a date once, okay?" Buneary answered, smiling. "It didn't really go well, but that's not the reason I am here".

"Then which one?"

Buneary thought about telling Kirlia about the stone, but after what happened yesterday, preferred not to say anything on the matter.

"I wanted to form an exploration team" he lied. Kirlia lowered one of his eyebrows, confused. "It has its benefits. You help Pokémon, benefit others with your work and get paid. Do you want to join us?"

"Excuse me?" the psychic Pokémon asked, sitting straight. "You know we both belong to Shadow Ville, not Treasure Town. We have families there, remember?" Kirlia suddenly paused, staring at Buneary. "Well… not you, but…"

"That doesn't matter. If you join, I would have both of my great friends here". Kirlia seemed to take this comment badly. "I mean… I know you're my oldest friend, but Chikorita made me realize that maybe being from Shadow Ville wasn't my thing. It would mean so much if you just considered it".

Spinda went to their table after all that time they spent sitting, walking slowly and dizzily, trying to keep his balance. When he finally got to their table, Kirlia suddenly stood up, scaring the little unsteady bear.

"We're leaving. We're sorry". With that said, the psychic Pokémon went upstairs, to the surface. Buneary followed, slowly, wondering what had happened with his old friend.

"What's wrong?" asked a confused Buneary. "You reacted a bit bad back there and… to be honest I'm worried about you".

"I want to leave right now, Buneary" he sighed. "If we can get there before it gets late, we can avoid a lot of possible danger. Let's go".

The bunny nodded as the psychic Pokémon began walking. He began wondering when was his grass type friend coming back and how he would react to him leaving so suddenly. Perhaps he would send a letter to him when he got there, just so Chikorita wouldn't worry about him.

* * *

The sky was becoming dark, painting itself with red colors. The clouds merged with the dark blue shades of it, making them partially disappear. The sun was still visible, but it was descending slowly. Chikorita and Starly were happy to be back in a piece, before it got darker.

Laughing, they entered the guild, talking about their recent adventure. When they arrived at the main hall of the building, they were surprised to see that everyone was already there. There was a worrying silence in the room, which the grass type Pokémon broke. "What's wrong?"

"Where is Buneary, young man?" Chatot asked, in a high tone of voice. The Guildmaster patted the bird on the head, which made him lower his voice. "Your friend, your usual companion".

"She's not back?" he asked. His surprising tone of voice created a gasp that echoed around the room. "The last time I saw her was in the morning. She was with this… weird Pokémon".

Starly suddenly jumped back because of Chikorita's statement. "You mean you knew where she was all this time? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it was important" he answered.

Starly stared at Chikorita with an upset expression and then yelled: "Follow me!" She flapped her wings, rising towards the surface. Chikorita went with her. When they both were outside, the bird yelled once more: "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Like I said, it wasn't important". He rolled his eyes. "It was a weird girl with a pair of red horns and green hair. Nothing too suspicious, don't you think?"

"Red horns?" she thought for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "It sounds like a Kirlia… which is not a good sign for her". Chikorita made a confused expression. "Didn't you listen to what she told you before, about that big black bird?"

"Mr. Honchkrow? Yeah, she thought he was a famous bounty hunter… is he really one?" Starly nodded. "He's looking for a criminal, so I don't know why he would be after Buneary… and besides, how do you know about her?"

"I know the important stuff" the bird mentioned, walking towards the crossroads. "We have to look for Buneary. She might be in great danger".

Chikorita walked behind her. "Alright, now I'm starting to worry…" he muttered. "What do you think happened?"

"Don't ask me about it. The only thing we can do right now is guess, and I guess that it's a good idea that you don't ask any more questions until all of this is finished".

And with that, Chikorita and Starly were also behind Buneary and Kirlia's steps.

* * *

Kirlia remembered what happened the night before, at midnight. They called him so he could get some extra money doing an easy job. The night was dark, and only a couple of lights were on, which came from nearby campsites, where traveling merchants slept. He carried a small bag over his shoulder, which he left on the ground once he stopped. A couple of spirits appeared afterwards.

"You must be Kirlia" one of them spoke, in a serious tone of voice. "We need of your services. We are aware that you are in need of money, yes?" The psychic Pokémon nodded, slowly. "That is good to know, because tomorrow you'll be rich!" He crossed his arms, unsure about accepting.

"You two said it was going to be an easy job, but refrained from saying anything about what the mission is about" he mentioned. "I know you both don't have good intentions, but I'm unsure whether these intentions are against me or someone else".

"Chill, dude" spoke the other ghost, in a honeyed voice. "We have nothing against someone like you. You are… interesting, to say the least".

The male Pokémon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Your stone. We know you're a criminal as well" the same ghost answered. "In your own words, you described it as 'Bright as day, with a peculiar shininess', right?" Kirlia made a surprised expression. "You _really_ need to stop talking to yourself".

Kirlia sighed and went for his backpack, where he took out a small, shiny stone. It had a small sun-looking symbol in the middle of it. It shined, even under the moonlight. The ghosts stared at it, fascinated by their beauty.

"If I help you… will this stone keep being a secret?" One of the ghosts nodded.

"We can offer you money and a temporary home, for a couple of months" the most serious of them began. "If things get ugly, though, we will try to tell you about it as fast as we can. Your stone will be safe, though".

Kirlia returned his stone to his backpack and then wore the bag over his shoulder like before.

"Then, I accept".

* * *

**Aaah~ I need to take a small break from this thing. Don't worry, though, I won't take long =w=)/**

**I just received a couple of more writing projects, a few of them for myself, that is. I'm going to participate in a writing contest in my country. I'll see if I can manage to get accepted and… yeah, it might take time.**

**ANYWAYS, see ya later! Please write reviews, I gladly accept and answer them!**


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